By Dena Fishbein
Tribune News Service
Floor poufs are one of my favorite trends right now. They are a fun option for extra seating or a comfy place to rest your feet at the end of the day. A pouf done in bold colors is the perfect accent to any room. In pink ikat florals, orange geos and an appliqued elephant, this pouf really pops!
Download the pattern at www.blog.denadesigns.com/Elephant-pouf.
Gather:
Sewing machine
Thread
Sewing needle
Scissors
2 1/2 yards of main fabric (we used 1 yard of Pavana in Pink, 1 yard of Meena in Orange and 1/2 Yard Asha in Yellow from my Sundara Oasis collection for FreeSpirit)
2 1/2 yards heavy interfacing
Elephant cut out from Kalindi fabric
Iron
5 pounds fiberfill
Fabric scraps
Create:
1. Download and print out the PDF. Be sure to print actual size. Do not scale the pattern.
2. Cut out each piece and tape together, matching the letters where indicated. You will have one wedge and one octagon.
3. Cut eight wedges out of the main fabric. If using two main fabrics like we did, cut four of each.
4. Cut eight wedges out of interfacing.
5. Cut two octagons from main fabric. (Or you can use a contrasting fabric like we did.)
6. Cut two octagons from interfacing.
7. Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the main fabric.
8. Sew together four of the wedges, with right sides together, creating half of the pouf. Press the seams with an iron. Repeat with the other four. It should look like two halves of a beach ball.
9. Turn one half right side out and fit inside the other half so the right sides are together and the unsewn edges are together. Pin the edges together, leaving an open space at the top where the points meet. Sew together with the sewing machine. Press the seams with an iron.
10. Turn the pouf right side out and stuff with fabric scraps and fiberfill. It helps to use heavier scraps at the bottom so the pouf has some stability. You’ll want it to be very dense!
11. Once the pouf is full, stitch the top closed with a needle and thread. It doesn’t have to look great, because you’ll cover it up with the octagon top.
12. Applique the elephant onto the top octagon. We did it with the sewing machine, but you can do it by hand with a decorative stitch, if you like.
13. Press the sides of both octagons under at { inch with an iron. Pin in place on the top and bottom of the pouf and hand-stitch. You can use a decorative stitch like a running stitch or a zig-zag stitch, or you can use something simple like a pillow stitch, like we did.
